Saving the World's Gonna be an Aerodynamic Ride
by Iyagi
Summary: The Flock's lives totally change when they find Aero and are unknowingly led to McAllistair's Prepatory Academy where disguised mutants are behind every corner. New avian hybrids join the game to, perhaps, help Max make a team to finally save the world.
1. 001 Introduction

_Alright, welcome. Sorry there was no introduction before. But, yeah it's fixed yay._

**_Hello_** - Welcome to my fanfiction, Aerodynamic Ride. It picks up where MR2 left off and adds a bit of a spin on things. Some changes though: I see Max differently than others do. I think she's a bit perfect in the book, but that's just my opinion. So I try to make her less perfect in my fanfic. Also, I am **not** a fan of Max x Fang, so no to those looking for MxF, cause it's not here sorry. There will be couples though. My own that I make up some OC x OC, some CANON x OC. But remember, this is my fanfiction. I don't let things spiral out of control, but this is how I want to write it. Constructive criticsm on my writing is always welcome though.

**_DISCLAIMER_** - I do not own Maximum Ride. But the new characters that appear are mine, so don't steal.

_Note - OC means original character, canons are characters made by the author for the book, along those lines._

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**Chapter 1**

The wind, the endless skies, the empty fields. Nothing felt better. I looked back at the flock, five faces of my family stared back at me. I couldn't have felt happier. Sure, we were on the run from dangerous morphing mutant monsters and there was no one we could trust anymore, but hey, it's not a bad life. I mean, hello, we have wings.

If you don't know the story by now, let me give it to you short and sweet: We've been hunted down all our lives by these creatures called Erasers out to rip us apart and so far, we've been independent with no one to boss us around. No school, no adults, no rules. There's six of us; Angel, The Gasman, Nudge, Iggy, Fang, and me, Max. We're avian-hybrid mutants who escaped from a place we call the School. It may not sound bad, but it gets so much worse. Apparently, we're all a crucial part of their sick project and trust me, you don't wanna know what they'll do. All of us have been there before and we never want to go back again.

Supposedly, according to the Voice in my head and almost everyone I know, I'm the one to save the world. Don't ask me what it means because I don't even know myself. I'm trying my best to find out, but at the moment I'm more worried about my flock than anything. We'd been flying around for hours with no rest. I was really surprised that no one complained, not even Nudge who couldn't keep her mouth shut about anything. "Hey!" I called back to them. "You guys feel like taking five? Maybe ten?" I knew by saying I wanted to take a break was showing weakness, especially to Fang, but we did need to stop.

With four heads giving me approving nods (Fang was the only one who didn't do anything), I swooped into the fields below. It was totally deserted and quiet. The grass was soft to lie in which would've been easier if it were not up to my thighs. I heard the flock landing behind me. One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . where's number five? I quickly turned my head around and saw Angel, the youngest of us all, floating in the air and pointing north of where I stood. "What's that?" she called out.

My eyes turned to the direction Angel was pointing to, but the grass was too tall to see anything. "Where?" I called back.

"Come up!" was her reply.

I unfurled my wings and lifted myself to Angel's altitude. About 80 yards away from our spot was a body. It was long and thin, like all of us and from the hair I could make out that it was a female. I went further up into the air to see better and I could've sworn, but didn't, that on the back of that body, spread out like arms, were — get this — wings.

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_Sorry for the shortness, but ya know. Its my first chapter, I was kinda stupid haha. Anyway, Read and Review. Really appreciate it._


	2. 002 Something Worse

Sorry about the no intro thing in Chapter 1. I was rushed x3

Well, hi yeah.This is my fanfiction for Maximum Ride, my all-time favorite book.I had always seen ideas like this in animes and mangas I've read/watched, but this is one of the first I've seen in book form and I'm glad James Patterson authored this series.

Now, first off, I'm not all that big a fan of Max, so I'm trying to make her seem less perfect. What a Mary-Sue, it bothers me. Anyway, I also dislike cliche couples which means I am not a supporter of MaxFang and I never will be so too bad. I'll keep small hints for fans but nothing more than that.

And that's about all. I **DO NOT** own Maximum Ride, but the new characters that will appear in this fanfic are mine and** are not to be stolen**. Thank you and happy reading

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**Chapter 2**

"Iggy!" I called.

Iggy immediately followed the sound of my voice and took off from the ground. I let the tip of my right wing touch his left one to guide him to the body. "What is it?" Iggy had finally asked, impatiently.

"Angel spotted a body out in the field," I explained in a blank tone.

"Cool."

It didn't take long to reach the spot. It was a bit scary, standing over the body of an unconscious bird-kid. I wasn't even sure if she was dead or alive.

I began to observe her, taking in every detail of her skin, hair, facial features, and so forth. Her hair was short and messy and spread all over the place. Random strands of light, sandy brown and blond hair met with the grass. I couldn't guess her age, but she looked around my age, maybe younger. My hands shook a bit as I took hold of her thin wrist. Then, I let Iggy take over, placing her hand into his. I watched with anxiety as he felt around for the girl's pulse.

"She's alive. But her pulse is a bit slower than it's supposed to be."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Awkwardly, I helped put her into Iggy's arms. It was hard with her large wings in the way. Luckily, they were flexible and could easily retract. "She's going to need a place to rest." I told him.

The winged girl's breathing sounded labored and without all the hair to cover her face, I could see scratch marks and spots of blood on her neck. It looked almost like she was attacked by an Eraser.

Just as we were about to get up, we heard Gazzy cry, "Let us see! Let us see!" I turned to see him running toward us. Nudge and Angel were following closely behind. They were only kids, but it was disrespectful to want to see an injured avian-hybrid body like it was an animal at the zoo. I'd have to talk to them about that later.

"Whoa . . . ," Nudge and Angel gasped.

"Another bird-kid?" said Fang as he bent down to where we were sitting.

"Looks like it . . . ," I replied. Then suddenly, as if controlled, I blurted out, "She looks so familiar . . . like I've seen her before."

Everyone looked at me with total amazement. Even I was surprised at myself. We had never seen another mutant like us. As far as we knew, we were the only kids with wings alive. Then, my Voice came in with some advice and said, _Max, don't forget your past experiences so easily. They'll help on your journey_. The answer popped into my head. Just as I was about to explain, Fang interrupted.

"I think I know what you mean now," he said, his voice stern and thoughtful. "She was one of the mutants with wings we freed at the Institute in New York."

I'm sure this made everybody flip.

"Wow!" Nudge exclaimed. "Wait . . . Are you sure? Couldn't she be somebody else? But gosh, maybe she has information about the School we don't have! Maybe she can tell us something! This is so exciting! What do you think her name is? How old is she? Do you think she can fly? Is she — " Fang put his hand over her mouth.

"Don't worry. I'm sure."

I still remembered the look of sadness and tenderness in his eyes when he saw her at the Institute, all caged up and probably traumatized by the experiments performed on her. And right now, I saw that look in his eyes return.

"Wow," Iggy finally spoke. No one could break a moment of seriousness like Iggy.

"What?" I said.

"Feel her leg muscles," he said. "And her arms, too. Her wings . . . "

I had no idea what Iggy was rambling about now, but I felt the girl's wings. My hand skimmed across her feathers. And then, I felt the muscles under them. They were surprisingly hard and light and seemed very developed. A bit suspicious, I coiled my hand around her left upper arm. It was hard to tell under the sleeves of her hoodie, but I could feel her biceps. They were like her wings; hard, light, and well developed.

"Looks as if she's been fighting," Iggy concluded.

I nodded, still a bit shocked. "Can you tell what attacked her? Or who she was fighting?" My voice sounded a bit too anxious and I cursed to myself for that.

Iggy began using his sensitive fingers to feel her skin for cuts and bruises. His brows furrowed to a point with hardened concentration. Suddenly, his whole body froze.

"Not an Eraser . . . ," he said with a hint of anger in his throat. "Something worse . . . "

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Read and Review if you know what's good for you.

I dunno if this built enough anticipation, but I think this was a heck of a lot better than Chapter One. Yesh chapters will be short just like the book. The new character will be explained more in the next chapter. See you then

- E-Kuririn


	3. 003 Aero

Gawd, I finally, **finally** got this document uploaded. It kept giving me an error.

Anyways, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and i tried my best on this. Next chapter will be quite exciting and I hope you think so. I've tried advertising my fanfic some more cus my stories dont get a lot of reviews or anything (i wouldnt complain if I were you Kori) so if you know any other Maximum Ride fans, please do not hesitate to tell them about this story. Even if you hate it, they might not haha. I would really appreciate thanks!

-Happy reading

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**Chapter 3**

There was that moment of awkward silence when no one knows what to do or say. Iggy's body was rigid and hard, the look of anger rose in his light eyes. I knew how he felt. All we ever had was bad luck. Everyone was after us and we weren't safe anywhere anymore. Over and over again, we'd been betrayed, separated, tortured. And to think, just minutes ago, I felt like everything in the world was wonderful.

"How could they do this?" Iggy cried in anguish. "It was bad enough with Erasers after us. Why do they have to make us suffer all the time? Haven't we gone through enough?"

The School was just a bunch of lying, dirty traitors. It's no wonder they would release a new enemy to hunt us down. It was all part of a sick experiment that we all wanted to end.

I stood up. It was time to take charge.

"I know what you mean, Ig," I said with a soft, but stern tone. "But if we want this thing to end, we need to get a hold of ourselves. Whatever the School tries to hit us with, we'll be able to kick their sorry ass, right?"

Iggy didn't budge.

It was Fang's turn. He balled his right hand into a fist and slowly brought it up to Iggy's forehead. Suddenly, he brought it down like a hammer, hitting Iggy so hard he almost fell back.

"That," said Fang. "Was for being a wuss. Now get up. This girl needs a place to rest."

Fang got up and started to lead the younger kids away. I looked back at Iggy, wanting to take him into my arms and hug him. But Fang was right. If we wanted any hope of survival, we couldn't just mope around and feel sorry for ourselves. Iggy was very sensitive, so of course he didn't really think with that logic.

As I began to follow the rest of the group, I heard Iggy get up and say, "Fnick sure has some issues."

I took hold of his shirt sleeve and watched the still unconscious girl rest in his arms. _You picking up anything on this girl, Voice?_ I asked impatiently. Nothing. It was worth a shot

We walked a mile or two until we found a decent place to recharge. It ended up being a small willow tree near the end of the grassy fields, starting to become a forest. We made our way through the many hanging branches to find it's shade. Iggy gently set the girl down onto the roots of the tree.

"Why isn't she awake yet?" Angel asked with concern in her voice.

"Do you think she's in a coma or something?" said Nudge.

"Don't worry, guys," I assured them. "She'll be fine."

I wasn't too sure about that comment actually. Maybe she was in a coma. What would we do if she never woke up? There's no way we could just leave a passed out bird-kid sitting under a tree. I decided to see what we could do to wake her up.

I gingerly kneeled down next to her, examining her injuries. They didn't seem too bad, nothing serious. I calmly put my hand on her shoulder. Sweat started to escape my pores. I felt like I was a surgeon trying to remove a cancerous tumor. The anticipation was killing me. Just as I was about to shake her just a bit, the girl's wings immediately snapped to their full measure.

I fell flat on my back at her maneuver. Everybody jumped in bewilderment as the girl finally opened her eyes. Feathers flew everywhere as she tiredly brushed the tangled hair out of her face.

"What the—," were the first words that came out of her mouth.

I lifted myself up as her hazel eyes scanned the environment. Her hands began to become fists and her body tightened up as if she were surrounded by Erasers. After seeing what potential she had in her muscles, I definitely didn't want her attacking my flock.

"Wait!" I shouted.

The girl's eyes affixed on me and started to grow in amazement as I let my wings loose, revealing my true identity.

My breath was hard and my heartbeat sped up as I took in the situation. Here I was standing across from an avian-hybrid girl, just like me, not knowing whether she was an enemy or ally. And frankly, not really caring. Just seeing another one of us in existence was enough to make me want to throw my arms around them and call them one of my flock. But of course, that wasn't the inscrutable Maximum Ride talking.

"You," I, without warning, began the conversation, making the girl flinch a bit. "You're from the Institute, aren't you? In New York?"

The bird-kid's expression began to soften. Her eyebrows rose suspiciously.

"Yes, I am," she replied. "You're the flock of kids that freed me and the other mutants."

I nodded solemnly. Neither of us let our guard down. Our wings almost exact mirror reflections in their positions.

Fang abruptly raised his hand. "I have a question."

I looked at him with utter disbelief. He was treating this whole thing like it was a joke! I heard Iggy chuckle and shot him another useless glare.

The bird-girl set her gaze upon Fang. I could tell she was quickly looking over every inch of him; she remembered his face. Her body began to loosen up and she waited patiently for his question.

Finally, when he thought it was safe, Fang asked, "What's your name?"

I had to admit, it was an obvious question. But the moment was so tense and still, it seemed wrong to talk out of turn. I focused my eyes on the girl, anticipating for her answer. She straightened up, wings retracted an inch or two.

"Aero," she responded.

"That's a weird name," Nudge blurted out, rudely.

_Oh, crap_, I thought. I stiffened up, ready for a hostile return from the winged girl. But I was surprised by her answer.

"Well, it's short," she said as if talking to Nudge in a normal conversation. "Short for Aerodynamic."

"Wow!" said Nudge. "That's a cool name! My name's Nudge. But my real name is Mon—"

I gave Nudge such a hard look, it instantly stopped her in her tracks. We couldn't risk giving out personal information in case this girl was working for the other side. There was only one way to figure it out.

Step by cautious step, I started walking towards her. But before I could take more than two full strides, images began flashing in my head from the time we were at the Institute. I saw Aero in a cage, pure fear in her eyes when we were running from Ari, immediate responsibility to take care of the abandoned mutants. Then I thought, _Could she really be working for the School_?

As the images grew stronger, my head began to throb. Then a rapid pain struck through my brain. By reflex, I clutched my skull and my knees buckled. I heard myself fall to the floor, my arm hitting a root of the tree, but I didn't feel any pain except for the one going on inside my head. It was one of my supernova headaches. Haven't seen them in a while. They were about due back for a visit.

I desperately called out to my Voice. _What's going on? Why now?_

As usual, no answer.

I couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to escape for a moment, even be back in that closed off tank. Anything to stop the pain. This time, the headache was running an extra long course.

As I began to black out, all I heard was someone shouting, "Max!" And then, I realized it was Aero's voice.

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Oh yeah. cliffhangers pwn yo.

I'm excited. its the end of the chapter I know. But I'm excited cus I got a necklace with 2 wings on it. Like, really cool wings not cheesy ones. If I can, I'll get a pic of them up soon. They are freakin' awesome oh yah X3

-E-Kuririn


	4. 004 Decisions

Sorry for the lateness. Or maybe you don't think it's late o.O

Once again, please let people know about this story, I would really appreciate it if you spread the word. I think I was a bit redundant in this chapter, but it turned out alright. I redid about 1/4 of it becaus I wasn't happy with it but whatever. Here it is now.

I know alot of people hate it when new characters come into the story and alot of people like reading about sick things -you should be ashamed... - shot but anyways, this fanfic, I've worked very hard on it and its those people who are close-minded that I dont give a crap about and I don't want them to read my story if they're just going to bash about it or bash to other peole about it so that they don't read it either. So yah. Leave me be. It's just as fanfic for pete's sake.

Thank you and happy reading

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**Chapter 4**

It felt like forever before I came to. Somebody had put a jacket over me and I pushed it off, exhausted. I could barely lift my hands to rub my temples as I began to straighten up.

"She's awake!" I heard Angel say.

My eyes started to open and I squinted against the bright ray of sunlight that hit me through the willow's maze of branches and leaves. As everyone gathered around me, I suddenly remembered the last thing that happened before I passed out.

Aero.

For a second, my heart sped up and my eyes frantically searched. Then, I saw her. She was standing at the tree's hanging branches, her back to us. I wasn't sure how to talk to her, but we had to do some questioning, get some answers.

"Don't worry," Fang said. "We handled it. She seems safe enough, but you're the leader. What do you say?"

I trusted the flock's judgement. And I knew Fang wouldn't easily trust anyone without getting some straight answers. My head still throbbed a bit from the explosion inside, but I was fine now. I carefully got up and made my way toward Aero. No images or headaches this time. I figured it was safe.

Aero turned her head to me slightly, then resumed her original position.

"Rain," she said simply.

I hadn't noticed, but it had suddenly begun raining. Hard. So we were stuck under this willow tree for now.

"Don't change the subject," I said to Aero. "I have questions, and you are going to give me the answers. Is that clear?" I made sure my voice was firm and unwavering. I meant business.

"Crystal," she replied as she turned to face me.

I couldn't tell the expression on her face. It didn't seem annoyed or angry or sad. But I was a bit annoyed by her one word responses.

As we all got used to the rain, I stirred up the conversation. And Aero patiently told me everything I asked. It turned out, she was a lot like us. She had no idea where she had come from or who her parents were. I inquired about her relationship with Ari or any of the whitecoats from the School and found out Ari had fought with her on many occasions and Jeb involved her in a lot of experiments, but was strangely kind to her. At this, I tightened up. Just hearing Jeb's name was enough for me to blow a vessel.

Aero said a lot of things were fuzzy to her since a lot of times they injected morphine into her or made her take new, untested drugs to go to sleep. I guessed her avian genes were the only thing helping her survive. A normal human couldn't take all that torture.

"Wait a sec," Iggy interrupted. "What happened to all those mutants you took with you after we escaped the Institute?"

"Well, I took care of them for a while and made sure they'd be ok on their own since, let's face it, I won't be there all the time to take care of them," Aero said. "And the other winged girl you set free in New York, Owl, agreed to look after them when I'm gone."

"Owl?" Gazzy asked curiously.

Aero laughed. "She's only ten, but she could devise a plan good enough to steal the Constitution without leaving a trace of evidence. Must make the Police feel stupid that they can't even catch a ten-year-old girl."

I couldn't help but to smile. It was weird. We had only been talking for about half an hour, not even about normal things you would usually talk about, and yet I felt like we'd been friends with this girl as long as the flock has known each other. I felt like it was the right moment, so I decided to make a crucial arrangement.

"Uh, Fang," I said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Fang's eyes glanced over at me and he reluctantly got up as I tapped the back of Iggy's hand, letting him know to do what he needed if Aero did anything funny.

As soon as I was sure the rest of the kids couldn't hear us, I told Fang, "I think we should let Aero into the flock."

Fang looked at me, a bit of surprise rose in his usually stone calm face.

"Why?" he questioned.

Honestly, I didn't know. It just kinda came to me and it felt right. Aero seemed like she would be a great addition to our group. And she probably had more information about the School that we don't know. It seemed like she could be trusted and she didn't seem to have anywhere else to go.

"It's my gut feeling," I said. "I've given it a lot of thought, I really have. And you know I wouldn't have made this decision without confirming it with you if I wasn't serious."

Fang's eyebrows furrowed and he closed his eyes as if in deep meditation. At last, he sighed and said, "You're the leader."

I smiled. And once again I don't know why. I felt like a teenage girl who finally got her dad to agree to let her get her ears pierced. A weird scenario to think about.

We made our way back to the group and I was acting a bit too happy, it even scared me a bit. _Stay in character Maximum_, I said to myself.

"Aero, do you have anywhere to go?" I asked as soon as everyone noticed we were back.

Aero replied with a bit of hesitation, "No, not really."

I nodded. _This was the right thing to do_, I assured myself. I loosened up and looked her right in the eye. "How would you like it, if we asked you to join our flock?"

Everyone was taken aback by my proposal, especially Aero. I knew she probably couldn't make it on her own even if she was strong for her age. And for some reason, I felt a strange sympathy for her. I knew how she felt, lost and alone with no past to go back to. We were all in this together.

"That's," Aero finally said, still a bit of shock in her voice. "That would be great, but . . . "

Uh oh. There was the dreaded "but". There was no word I hated more than the word "but". I had a feeling that all my good judgement was about to go down the drain.

"Actually," Aero continued. "The reason why I left the other mutants in the first place was to look for your flock."

"Wha — ," I tried to say, but nothing would come out. Maybe she really was looking for the school. Maybe they trained her tohunt us down. Maybe they taught her everything they know about us so that she can psych us out or fool us with kind words. It all made sense.

Suddenly, a strange feeling surged through my body. I couldn't decipher what this emotion was, but it made my mind rush and my arms tense.

"Wait!" cried Aero. "Before you jump to any conclusions, hear me out. I came looking for you guys because I need your help."

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I wonder if that was a good enough cliffhanger... hmm... Read & Review!

-E-Kuririn


	5. 005 Fight Me

Wow, I'm really sorry for not updating xD umm... 2 months I think it was? haha.

Well the reason is, i'm extremely busy with school now (8th grade whoop-dee-doo) and I'm in the process of working on my manga (yes really working don't worry.) but I will update this. It will not die and it will be finished. I promise. There may even be a sequel if it goes well. Again, please tell people!

Happy reading

(ps - sorry, ruler is screwed up, line wouldn't show)

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**Chapter 5**

Once again, another confused moment. Everything was hitting me all at once. And I think my stomach sank a little. We just stared at each other, completely still, intense, alert. No one dared move a muscle. Except for —

"Our help?" Nudge blurted out. She had absolutely no concern for the situation. Then again, none of the kids really did. I didn't expect them to understand everything that was going on.

Aero nodded and picked up where she left off. "It's hard to explain, but I felt like I had to find you. Besides me and Owl, I really don't know anyone else with wings."

Ah. The infamous gut feeling.

"Still, why does a girl like you need help from freaks like us?" Iggy butted in.

"Because I'm a freak too," she said with a stern face. "And I saw the way you handled yourselves back at the Institute. That is what I need to know. Strategy, leadership, handling yourself in the heat, everything. I can't survive on my own."

I smiled to myself when she said "leadership". Then I held my chin in my hand to concentrate on what she was saying. I didn't quite get it. Aero seemed perfectly capable of handling herself, especially with all those mutants with her before. What did she really need to know?

"And... Well I...," Aero started to trail off.

"And you... what?" Fang said, eyebrow raised in slight interest.

We all looked at Aero intently which I'm sure made her even more nervous.

"I can't," she continued. "I can't really fight."

I saw Iggy's eyes rise in suspicion and I was thinking the same thing. Both of us knew she definitely had the potential to be a tough fighter. After all, we had both felt the muscle in her arms, legs, and wings. So I wasn't sure how to reply to this. "LIAR!" No, that's no good.

Suddenly, I heard Fang say, "Let's see. Fight me."

Excuse me? No need to rush it.

Aero's eyes widened, looking up at Fang's over 6 feet tall body. "Fight you?"

"Fight me," Fang repeated with a serious tone.

He brushed the willow branches away. The sky had cleared up. Not a single drop of rain came falling. The atmosphere was fresh with dew.

I saw Aero hesitate and I didn't blame her. For a bird-kid, she was kinda short. Taller than average, yet not quite our height at our age. Plus, Fang was very strong and relentless in a battle. I knew that from experience.

He stepped out into the wet field and turned to face us. He then spread his arms out, signaling to Aero with a nod.

"Give me your best shot," he said like it was nothing.

Gazzy and Angel came up behind me and tugged on my sweatshirt. They were really worried about Fang.

"Fang," I said firmly, warning him to stop. Then I turned to Aero. "You don't have to—"

"No," she cut me off. "Even if I may not stand a chance, I don't step back from a challenge."

I admired her determination, but no need to get yourself beat up for nothing. But I figured nothing I did could stop her. Then, the fight began.

Aero stepped back onto her left foot and bent her knees a bit like she was about to do a hard sprint. But to my surprise, she quickly snapped open her wings and took off in a straight path towards Fang, her target. It was so fast, I swear I had to take a double-take. I hadn't really noticed Aero's wings before, but I realized they were a mix of black and withe by the feathers she left behind.

Both Fang and Aero were very quick in reflexes and speed. After some ground battling, they took it to the air. Fang first, then Aero immediately followed. I think I gasped when I saw her dart past Fang's dark figure in the sky. I could barely see her after she shot past him. Then I understood; she had it too. Super speed.

Aero soon came dive-bombing back down to Earth doing a single somersault in the air, then bringing her right foot down in an ax kick. Fang saw her maneuver just in time to quickly grapple her leg and throw her down towards the field.

"Whoa!" cried Nudge in astonishment. "Look at 'em go!"

"What?" said Iggy. "What's happening?"

"Oh, it's awesome!" said Gazzy and ran over to Iggy, giving him every detail.

I watched silently, studying Aero's attack patterns. I admit, they were extremely complex and hard to decipher. But I saw she took a liking to leg power.

Fang began throwing punches at Aero, harder than I've ever seen him do in a long time. He wasn't letting her off easy. Aero would dodge his strikes more than she blocked them, but she managed to evade his assaults either way. Until Fang decided to launch a surprise attack and deliver a roundhouse punch at Aero's open left side. In the nick of time, she brought her arm up to block it, but Fang didn't stop there. His fist kept going and the impact knocked Aero off balance in her flight.

Neither of them were willing to give in. Aero's wings widened to their full length to catch air. She practically floated in the air most of the time due to her light body weight. Pretty soon, she brought herself back up to altitude and their close combat continued.

"Heh," I heard Iggy chuckle. "Sounds like Fnick is gonna get his butt kicked."

Iggy loved to tease Fang. "Come one," I said. "It's a fair match. Either one of them can win at this point. And besides, it's not a competition or anything."

"My money's on Aero!" said Nudge.

"Nudge!" I yelled at her. We really should've been supporting Fang after all.

I sighed. I really wasn't sure who would beat who now. But...

"Do you think she might actually beat Fang?" Angel asked.

I turned to her, bewildered by her question. She was still watching the battle, but I could tell, she was reading my mind. I knew she sensed my doubt.

"Well?" she asked again, her eyes didn't even blink.

I heaved another sigh. "I don't know," I lied.

To my amazement, Aero began throwing punches between her kicks. Fang blocked them like they were nothing. Finally, he released one last heated fist to finish it. But Aero dodged it by bending back. It was then that she performed what I thought was a strikingly wicked move. As Aero bent backwards, she brought her legs up and hit Fang square where it counts. It looked so easy how she did it in the sky. There was a moment of complete stillness. Then, Fang began to lose altitude.

Aero promptly shot downward and grabbed Fang's shirt, falling with him.

Nudge gasped. "Oh no!" she cried. "She's gonna throw him down!"

I think my heart skipped a beat. That kind of move could seriously injure Fang, especially in his condition after her attack. Aero was taking this too far.

I unfurled my wings and started to run.

"No! Stop!" I called, running like it was my own life on the line.

Then, I saw Aero starting to slow down as they reached the field. She began to land, still holding onto Fang and setting him gently onto his back.

"Agh...," he groaned, sounding a bit disappointed. "Not a fighter, eh?"

She shrugged, but gave him a grin.

"Fang!" I yelled. I started to slow down as I reached the two. "Are you all right?" I bent down to him and saw lots of bruises on his arms, a bit of blood on the side of his mouth. He was rubbing his jaw making sure it was still in place.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," Aero assured me.

Fang coughed. "Why... why didn't you finish me off?"

Aero looked like she was thinking about it. Then she said, "Well, you sure can't help me if you're dead, right?"

We were all kinda quiet for a minute. Then, for the first time in a while, I saw Fang give her a small smile and a laugh.

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I wrote this chapter in my notebook actually with some changes when i typed it. I plan to write all my chapters now cus its so darn fun haha. No not really. Just tryin to lighten up the mood. Read & Review of course

-E-Kuririn

Oh and celebrating that I got my 30GB iPod yay! -buys MR audiobook-


	6. 006 The New Flock

Yay it's chapter 6! It was about 4 pages when I wrote this in my notebook. And I write small too haha.

I kinda like this chapter. It goes more in depth with Aero but... I really liked chapter 5... fight scenes. I had a hard time coming up with a chapter title...

That's all. so Happy Reading.

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**Chapter 6**

"Careful," I said as Aero, Iggy, and I hoisted Fang up. We tried to get him in position to sit up against the tree, but his body was limp as a rag. I knew he was probably half faking it. He was just being lazy.

Aero gave him quite a beating, but his wounds didn't go past bruises and aching muscles. Fang would be better in no time thanks to our regenerating bird genes. I was going to check Aero for injuries, but she seemed fine which I found unusual.

"Stop babying me," Fang groaned. "I'll be fine." He let out some coughs between his short sentences.

I ignored him and pulled up his sleeves to let Iggy examine the damage.

Now, it was time to get down to business. I turned my attention to Aero. She looked surprised and almost a bit frightened. "I-I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't know how much power I was using. If Fang has any serious injuries, I'll take responsibility for it all. I'll do everything I can."

Wait a sec. An alarm went off in my head.

"How do you know his name?" I asked. "Come to think of it, how do you even know my name?" I started to recall when my headache hit me and how Aero called me before I blacked out. But during the whole time we were talking to each other, we hadn't told her our names, except for Nudge. We hadn't had a proper introduction due to all the craziness.

"Please, don't jump to conclusions," she said. "I'll let you know whatever else you want to know."

A lump formed in my throat and I couldn't force any words out. So Aero saw it as an opportunity to speak. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fang open one eyelid to watch.

"While I was at the School," Aero began. "The whitecoats talked about you guys a lot since you were the first winged experiments. I didn't understand everything they said though. It was like a different language or code. Plus, all the morphine they put in me fought against my consciousness. The way they talked about the mutants, they used numbers and letters, not normal names. Except— " she paused and lightly touched a place on her side, trying to be quiet about it.

"I don't mean to cut in," I said. "But are you okay? You're not hurt or—"

Aero seemed to wince at something I had said, but shook her head hastily. "No, I'm fine.

"Well, like I was saying," she continued as if nothing had happened. "The whitecoats called mutants by numbers and letters. Except for Jeb Batchelder. He told me directly a lot of things about your group. He seemed to love to talk to me about you, Max. He'd always tell me about living with you guys and growing up like a family. Jeb described you all to me in so much detail and expression, my mind started to feel a little hope to escape from the School and it's environment. The School . . . I felt like I could die every time I woke up from being tested on."

By now, everyone was listening to Aero weave a tale of pain and loneliness that we all knew so well. The flock could really relate. I think I saw Nudge wipe her eyes.

"Unfortunately, before I could escape to find you, they packed me up and moved me to a place I didn't recognize," Aero picked up where she left off. "That was the Institute they took me to. They had transported me and some of the other mutants there in the dark so we couldn't see where we ended up. Luckily, the Institute was the database for most of the School's files. They didn't have the best of security so it was really easy to break in, especially with Owl at my side. I looked up everything I could find about your flock. And some info on my origins while I was at it. A couple nights after, I planned an escape route with Owl, but before I could go out to find you, you found me."

I felt a little more reassured and again, very sympathetic. _Decisions are best made now_, said my Voice, deciding to take a rare visiting day.

_Hey, Voice,_ I thought to myself. _Long time, no hear._ I hadn't made it official yet. I needed to decide whether Aero should join the flock or . . . Just leave her after she tried so hard to find us? It didn't seem right. And no way was I going to abandon a fellow bird-kid.

"Alright, Aero," I said. "The offer still stands. Do you still want to join our little family?"

Aero blinked. "You were serious about that?"

Gazzy stifled a chuckle.

"Um . . . ," I stuttered. "Yeah. We genuinely want you on the team."

Iggy nodded in agreement and the kids showed their approval through happy faces. Fang just shrugged.

Aero dipped her head down, thinking it over. I was afraid she would reject. Then, a big grin grew across her face. "Of course!" she cried.

"Alright!" Nudge exclaimed with joy. "Another big sister! Now we outnumber the guys!" She threw her arms around Aero's neck, making her fall backwards.

"Hey come on," said the Gasman. "Don't strangle a new recruit before she even does anything." He grabbed her arm as she got up.

Aero laughed. "In return, I promise, I'll tell you everything you want to know about the School, your files, everything."

"Well, we've been through the database," I explained. "So we probably know the same amount of information." Besides, I had a secret weapon just in case. A certain little psycho mind-reader/hypnotizer.

I turned to face Angel, but she had a worried look on her face. My instincts kicked in.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked her, kneeling down.

Angel twiddled with her thumbs and wouldn't look me in the eye. She looked like she was trying to avoid the subject.

"Max . . . ," she finally said in almost a whisper. "I can't read her mind."

A pang went through my head. I rubbed Angel's shoulder to comfort her. "What do you mean, Angel?"

"Well . . . ," she hesitated. "It's just her mind, ya know. I can still read yours and Iggy's and Fang's and everyone's, just not Aero's."

It was like a roller coaster. Ups and downs and all arounds. Just when we got up to the top, we go rocketing down again. But I had made up my mind and I had to stick with it. Whatever happens from here on out, I'll deal with it for my flock. I decided to keep my eye on Aero for now.

"It's okay, sweetie," I said in a hushed voice to Angel. "Don't worry about it."

I looked over to the tree and saw Fang getting up. "Hold on," I warned him. "You need to rest—"

Without a word, Fang pulled up his sleeves. Most of his bruises had faded to almost nothing and the color in his skin started to return. "Happy?"

My face turned a bit red. "Okay then," I said, grabbing Angel's tiny hand. "Let's get going."

"Where're we off to now?" asked Iggy as Angel, Fang and I approached.

"Disney World!" all the kids yelled in unison.

"Disney World?" Aero said, confused.

"Long story," I said with a laugh. "We're in Florida right? What do ya say?"

Everyone waited for the new member's response. Aero looked around at everyone, then shrugged. "Never been to Disney World."

"Neither have we," Iggy smirked.

"Let's go already," Fang complained, letting his wings unfurl. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought he was actually eager to go to Disney World, in his own discreet way, of course.

Fang took off first and everyone else followed. I made sure everyone went before me in a safe formation. As I turned around to check for anyone left behind me, I felt a strange presence. It lasted for barely a second, but like the drop of a pin, I felt it echo silently through my ears. My head quickly reacted and swivelled around, only to see the six familiar figures flying in the sky. Nothing strange. Maybe it was just my imagination.

Yeah, right.

I opened my wings and took off after the flock, flying behind Aero. I noticed the color in her skin and eyes were fading and her flight wasn't as smooth as it was in her battle with Fang.

"Aero, you feeling all right?" I asked, concerned.

She blinked drowsily, eyes fighting to stay awake. She looked nauseous. "Ye-yeah," she barely said. "Just . . . just . . . kinda tired."

This wasn't good. She needed to get to the ground. This wasn't being "just tired".

"Hey," I told her. "Let me help you. You're in no condition to fly. I'll get Fang over here and—"

Aero mumbled a reply I couldn't understand. Then, the next thing I knew, her body went completely limp and her wings caved.

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Read and Review please. Very very appreciative of those who do. Every comment counts and yes, I do read all of them. I hope that one day, AR will be one of those fics that like, 50 people comment on every time I write a chapter -bricked- but yeah. Only 8 reviews so far though that's plenty more than any of my other stories has ever gotten. Maybe that's progress... Btw, thanks Kori. 

-E-Kuririn


	7. 007 In Aero's Eyes

MR Chapter... 7? Yeah lol. Sorry for the rather... long long long long... long hold up haha. It's not dead. No matter how long I'm gone, it's not dead. I'll finish this. I promised I would.

Being the lucky number 7 chapter,** I made this in Aero's POV** :) I'll be switching POVs throughout the book to keep things interesting. You'll mainly see things in Max or Aero's eyes so it doesn't get too confusing. I hope people like this idea

DOUBLE O SEVEN FTW!

Remember, written in **Aero's Point of View**!  
Happy Reading :) _now known as iyagi_

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**Chapter 7  
**_in Aero's POV_

The last thing I remember was trying to take off, flying with Max and her family to Disneyworld. After searching for so long, I had finally found them. But the next thing I knew, things went completely black in no time at all. I felt myself still in the air and my eyes opened groggily. I was facing upward, looking up into the endless sky. It was so nice and peaceful. Wait, how was I flying? A sprinkle of fresh water brushed my face. Under me, I realized I was above a body of water. Still wondering how in the world I was still afloat, I looked in front of me and saw Iggy's pure white wings, his arms held onto my legs. Behind me, Fang held onto my arms.

"Sleeping Beauty's awake," I heard him say with no expression. He signaled to Iggy with a whistle.

"Alley-oop!" was his reply as he quickly let go of my legs.

"Whoa!" I cried. I was afraid I was going to fall since Fang didn't have such a good grip on my arms.

To my surprise, he immediately slipped his arm under my knees and held onto me as he flew.

"I can fly, ya know," I said with disapproval.

"Can't fly when you're hurt," Fang simply responded. He nodded to my side where I had hidden my wound.

"Oh...," I murmured.

They had wrapped my waist in bandages around the large cut on my side. I felt a bit guilty being such a burden and not telling them that I was injured. I thought I'd be able to sustain the injury a little longer, long enough for us to get into a town or something so I could say, "Hey, mind if we pick up some first-aid while we're here?" I laughed in my head at the thought.

"You bled a lot," said Fang. "We almost thought of taking you to a hospital."

I cringed. A hospital. The worst place a bird kid could be. "Thanks for changing your mind," I said with gratitude.

I then heard a fluttering of wings as Max, Iggy, and the kids approached. "Feeling better?" Max asked with that motherly glow in her eyes.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Much."

"Well," she began to say. "You're not off the hook yet. We've still got some questions for you."

I nodded once again. "I understand. I'd be suspicious too, if I were you." I was just glad they didn't leave me out in the cold for all my efforts to be wasted.

"You scared us there for a minute," Nudge told me, flying a bit closer.

I smiled. "I'm okay now, promise."

As if reading my mind, Fang loosened his grip on me and let me fly on my own again. We automatically got into a triangle formation as if by instinct. Ha. We really _were_ bird kids.

"So...," Iggy said as he brushed his wing against mine. "Where did that cut come from?" I turned to him and saw that his face was stone, even though his words were trying to sound casual. Everyone kind of tensed up. Even me. My throat went a bit dry and I swallowed trying to talk.

"It's... uh...," I started, but couldn't put the words together.

"It's not from your fight with Fang, is it?" Iggy said it like it was rehearsed. Like he already knew, he just wanted me to say it outloud to prove it.

I shook my head in silence. But he couldn't see that. What should I say?

"I may be blind, but I know," he continued. "It wasn't an Eraser either. An Eraser may be strong, but one could never do something like that."

I didn't want any more trouble. It wasn't safe. At least not now. They had enough on their plates. I come here and just end up causing trouble for them. I should've never even gone looking in the first place. I tried to face the other way, not look any of them in the eye. I knew I was just making it more obvious.

"Go ahead," said Max as she came up next to me. "Tell us."

I did promise I would tell them anything they wanted to know, but was it the right time?

"It's too dangerous," I blurted out.

"Aero," Max firmly put her hand on my shoulder. "You gotta remember, we're in this all together. And 'dangerous'? 'Dangerous' is our game! And we've got to look out for each other. We're all in the same situation here, we have to be on the same level if we want to get through all this."

Max knew just what to say. They were sincere and just wanted information, but the least I could do was protect them. However, it slipped out.

"Iggy was right. It wasn't Erasers," I confessed in anguish. "It's a new hybrid. A new hybrid the whitecoats are testing out."

In a fight with the new hybrids? Not a pretty sight. This could be the best work the whitecoats had ever done as enemies for us. They're ruthless creatures and don't care what gets in the way even if it's their own kind. They're a lot stonger and faster than the Erasers with carving-sharp claws to match. Not only that, but they're plenty smarter.

"What kind?" asked Fang.

I looked at him and saw his eyes grow with anger and sadness. I didn't want to tell them anymore. I didn't want to upset anyone anymore than I already had. What was I thinking? But they deserved to know.

"Felinis," I answered. "Cat hybrids. They call them Executioners."

It made sense. Cats are predators to birds as the old tale goes. And cats are stealthy, clever, and cunning. The Erasers were like cream pie compared to them.

"I knew it," Iggy choked. I was surprised that his comments stopped there.

Everyone was a little quieter now. Nothing came to the eardrums except for a seagull cawing every now and again. They were letting it sink in that things had just gotten worse and their messed-up life was just screwing them over again. I regretted this whole moment. There was nothing else I wanted than to take everything I said back.

"Hey, how about we take a break?" Max finally suggested. "We'll talk it over."

Everybody followed in a dead silent formation. I wasn't sure what to say. I kept my distance from the rest of the flock, feeling as if they didn't want me there. I felt like such an outcast. A hindrance to them.

Most of the flock retracted their wings, but I kept mine out to give them some air.

"Lighten up, everyone," I heard Nudge say. "We'll kick their butts, right?"

Max ruffled her curly, bouncy hair. "Yeah, we will." She decided to change the subject, making the atmosphere less tense. "I think I remember our code names. A bunch of letters and numbers, in weird patterns." She faced me and nodded me to join into the conversation. I blinked and nodded quietly, inching towards the group that had sat down in a little pow-wow circle.

"I remember what order we came in," Max went on as I uneasily sat down next to her. She pointed to herself and counted off the numbers. "I was one, Fang was two, Iggy was three, Nudge was four, Gazzy was five, Angel was six... and..." she changed her gaze to me. "Do you remember any of the codes, Aero?"

I shyly looked up. The faces I saw looked comforting, not like they were angry. I loosened up a bit and Max smiled at me reassuringly. "I remember Owl and I came after you guys. She was number eight. Then I guess I would be..."

"Lucky number seven," Iggy finished for me with a grin.

"Uh, yeah," I agreed. Things were calmer now and friendlier, less tense. We had started to talk about our pasts and the files we found at the Institute. How we hoped to find our parents one day and how they had come so close to finding Nudge's. The flock told me about their countless thrilling adventures, where they had lived before, life along the East Coast, kicking major Eraser butt. I even laughed at some points. Who knew that they would be so accepting of me? It really felt like we were a big family now. A family where I finally fit in. I couldn't wait to find Owl and bring her to Max and the others.

Before we knew it, the sun had set, so we decided to set up camp. Fang and Iggy found themselves a spot under the trees and sat down to rest, leaving me and Max to make sure the younger kids calmed down to go to sleep.

"Men," Max said sarcastically. "Always leaving the dirty work to the women when they can't handle it." I laughed and agreed.

Finally, everything was set up. We had a small fire in the middle of our little circle and the kids were off to see the Sandman.

"I'll take the first watch," offered Max.

"No, wait!" I protested. "You rest, I'll take the first watch."

"You're in more need of rest than me," she replied with concern. "Your wound will take time to heal. Besides, what if something comes to attack you?"

I didn't budge. "If Execs come, I'll know how to handle them. And I promise, if anything happens, I'll let you know immediately."

Max looked hesitant, but finally gave in. She sighed and agreed. "Fine. I'll take the next shift in a little while, okay? Don't wear yourself out."

"I'll be fine," I assured her.

Max kept her eye on me as she bundled her sweater into a pillow. I pretended to act like I didn't know she was watching me, throwing a twig into the small fire. I knew she wasn't only concerned about my safety. It would take some time to fully earn their trust. And I guess I can't blame them.

Hours passed as everyone slept. I could hear the flock's steady breathing. Gazzy was snoring. I didn't even feel tired, so I decided to let Max sleep, doing some overtime. Taking care of five --- well, six since I joined --- people was a lot of tough work. There was no way I could ever do that. Most of the mutants I looked after were animals, pets. Not humans.

Suddenly, I heard a voice say, "Aero!" A very familiar voice. A furry black figure emerged from behind Angel, it's tiny dark eyes stared at me with friendliness. Then, I recognized them.

"Total!" I cried, holding my arms out to hug him. He barked in reply. "Woof! Ha ha."

Total ran up to me and licked my face like a dog bone. Ew. There was one thing I didn't miss about him. "I know you can talk," I said referring to his fake bark. "Did you think I'd forget so easily?"

I pet him to get him to stay quiet. What a talkative little pup. "People are sleeping here," I warned him. "I guess Max helped you escape from the Institute too, eh?"

Total bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically. I saw his expression change from happy to downright frightened. He scrambled in my arms in panic.

"Total!" I scolded. "Stop that! What's wrong?"

"The tree! Aero, the tree!" was all he could say. "Behind you!"

I heard a familiar snarl and my hear skipped a beat. My pulse quickened and sweat beaded my forehead. I stayed perfectly still, as if that would make me disappear so they couldn't see me. They found us.

"It's been too long, Aero," Ari growled.

* * *

Heey :) I updated! celebrate and rejoice, all! 

I've been doing alot of stuff, so sorry for not updating. I hope I still have some readers and more people will start reading this I'll get chapter 8 up tomorrow and such. Oh and here's a picture of Aero so you can kind of get a good idea what she looks like.

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/5923/aerofv7.jpg

She's wearing the Academy uniform. The clovers will be explained later. Drawn in the notebook I write the fanfic in. I'll post more art and such later C: I wanted to draw a fanmanga for MR based on my fanfic. I dunno when that will happen. I've been drawing character sketches though.

Thanks for reading  
Iyagi 이야기


	8. 008 They're Back

Alright, it's back in **Max's POV** for this chapter :)

I've been kinda... not busy lately. And felt like writing. So I'm working on chapter nine at the moment. I really don't get why people aren't willing to give my story a try. I'm not trying to sound all biotchy and ranty and stuff, but I just wish I could get more feedback. I never know if I'm doing a good or bad job because no one ever tells me :/Well, maybe in the future, when I write more. I do hope things get better though.  


So till then, Happy Reading C:

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**  
Chapter 8**

I woke up to the sound of Total growling some gibberish I didn't make any effort to understand. I ignored him and covered my ears with my sweater pillow. No way was I getting up. In despair, Total licked my face with as much slobber as he could possibly muster.

"UGH!" I groaned with disgust. "Total!" I hated it when the mutt licked me. "You have no sense of respect for the sleeping!"

"Morning, sunshine," I heard a familiar voice hiss.

I stopped what I was doing, not moving a muscle as I took in the image of Ari pinning Aero against a tree. Blood stained the sandy dirt ground like red wine on a carpet.

_No,_ my mind thought with useless effort. _Not this._

"Leave her alone! It's me you want!" I yelled at him.

Ari shook his head, a sly smile crossed his deformed mouth. "Again, you show your weakness so obviously, Max." He slowly dug his claws into Aero's neck, prolonging the pain. She grabbed his large, hairy wrist in desperation, coughing in pain.

I thrust myself at Ari, my wings giving me an extra boost of speed. But to my misfortune, his reflexes had improved. He grabbed my arm and threw me to the ground. Hard. I felt a sharp rock strike me right in the back and my spine exploded with pain.

Ari cackled with satisfaction. "Having a nice dirt sandwich, Maximum? I've been practicing, can't you tell?" He was hysterical at the fact that I was down and injured.

Aero glanced over at me, worry written on her face. I had to get up.

"Sorry, Max, but we need Aerodynamic here," Ari sneered. "We're not done with her tests just yet. Jeb had so much planned for you." His face was barely inches away from Aero's.

Then I thought about it; Jeb, Ari, the School. The ultimate mix of evil. I couldn't let it happen. Struggling to get up, a sharp pain paralyzed my leg and I prayed that the blow to my spine hadn't ridden me of movement in my legs. With as much strength as I could gather, I dragged myself to Ari's wolf-like feet and grabbed his ankles, ready to pull him down.

He scowled and kicked me off. But I didn't give. Ignoring the pain throughout my body, I stood. Dirt caked my clothes and scrapes penetrated my skin. I flipped the hair out of my eyes. Ha. As if that was going to discourage me. No matter what, I'd protect a fellow avian hybrid.

Ari frowned, "You just don't give up, do you?" His claws grasped Aero's neck tighter.

"I guess I don't," I grinned. "I'm not leaving here without Aero, which means you're _not_ taking her."

His grimace widened in a sick way. "I beg to differ with that statement."

Large, heavy footsteps noisily made their way to our campsite. The cavalry had arrived.

Erasers surrounded us now, patched-on wings spread and toothy smiles on their faces. It disgusted me. I remembered how much faster they had gotten and how their flight patterns had improved with their wings. Still, they were no match for me who had natural wings from birth. There was only one thing I could do now; fight back.

Just then, out of nowhere, a black blur struck Ari's arm, releasing Aero from his grasp. All the Erasers stopped in their tracks, ready for their new enemy. Many of them looked dumbly up into the sky. As the rush of dust, dirt, and feathers cleared, a tall, dark figure came into focus.

Fang's foot was on top of Ari's chest, holding him down.

"If you ever put your hands on Max or Aero again," he threatened. "I'll rip you to shreds."

Ari only leered at him. "Already defending little Aero? Aren't you moving a little fast, pretty boy?"

He grabbed Fang's leg and threw him off, aiming for a nearby tree. Just in time, Fang opened his wings and used his feet to kick off from the trunk, tackling Ari head first.

"Go get Aero!" he called to me. "Iggy, Nudge, Gaz, and Angel are fine!"

I heard Ari snap at him and menacingly say, "You're going to be nothing but feathers and bird scraps when I'm done with you!" But I knew Fang could handle him. I nodded and ran to Aero's side. Her neck was bloody and she was coughing like she was dying.

"Not as bad as it looks," she managed to say, trying to sound confident.

I hoped she wasn't lying. Without warning, an Eraser grabbed my arms, holding them back and making me an open target. Another Eraser picked up Aero and flung her over his shoulder with ease. "We'll take both of 'em," he said pointing to Aero and me.

"Excuse me?" I said in a sarcastic tone. "We've got names, ya know."

He glared at me and came up to my face. His horrible wolf breath clouded my head. I tried not to breathe through my nose. "Well, well," the Eraser mocked me. "Don't we have a smart little mouth?"

I spit in his face. He recoiled, snarling as he rubbed his eyes. As soon as he recovered, he spat at me, "Show some respect."

I was about to snap back at him, but then I saw Aero give me a signal. I smirked and said to the overgrown dog-boy, "I would, but I think someone like you deserves a good butt-whooping instead!"

At that exact moment, Aero unleashed her wings to full length and slid through the Eraser's arm, head first. As soon as her hands touched the ground, she got herself in to position and did a sweep kick under the Eraser's legs. His bulky body came crashing down. The ground shook from the impact.

While the Eraser pinning my arms back was distracted, I jabbed my elbow into his side, breaking a rib or two. Or maybe three. He howled, clutching his side in pain and I took this chance to bring him down with a neck chop kick.

Triumphant, Aero and I got ready for more Erasers. "Nice move," she said to me. We were facing back to back, both of us were on our guards, breathing hard. "Thanks," I replied. "You're not so bad yourself." I looked around in all directions, eyeing Fang in the process. Unexpectedly, he came running up to us. And fast.

"Fa---," he stopped me in mid-sentence and grabbed my arm.

"We've gotta go," he warned me. "We're outnumbered!"

"Why!?" I cried. "We're kicking serious butt here!"

Aero gasped. "Not anymore."

I hadn't noticed before, but there was slight rustling in the trees, but no wind. We all stood back to back in a circle, barely breathing in case something would suddenly jump out at us. "This is weird," I said under my breath.

Fang nodded. "Didn't you notice that only two Erasers attacked you? Where do you think all the others went?"

I hadn't thought about that. I was so caught up in the moment and my adrenaline was pumping like crazy. Now my heart was ready to jump out of its chest.

All of a sudden, a long, slender body pounced in front of us. It had a long tail and its eyes glistened in the coming dawn light.

"Don't tell me you're leaving already," a female voice purred teasingly. "We only just got here."

Ari's voice rumbled behind me. "We don't need you here," he said. "Take your pack and go, Tally."

"These are Executioners," Aero told us in a hushed voice.

"Execs, huh?" I thought to myself. The leader of the Execs, whom Ari had called Tally, looked a lot like I had imagined. They had long, slim, but muscular bodies. The human features on their face shared cat-like characteristics like ears, nose, and eyes. A lengthy tail for balance and fine claws for shredding. Fur covered their bodies, but in a neater way, not all ruffled and rough like the Erasers. Each Executioner had different patterns on their fur from different species of feline.

Tally snickered, showing her vicious teeth and warning us not to mess with her. "How have you been, Aero?" she asked. "Haven't seen you since we stopped in Maryland."

"I'm fine, Tally," Aero answered calmly. "No thanks to you."

Some of the Execs giggled at her spunk. Tally, unamused, held up a hand to silence them. "Don't get snappy with me, runt," she ordered. "I have a good mind to snap your little bird neck. Now, if you hadn't noticed already, we've got you outnumbered, surrounded. So why don't you and your friends take a little walk with us?"

Aero took a cautious step back and lightly tapped the back of my hand.

"Thanks," she said. "But I prefer to fly."

In the blink of an eye, the three of us unfurled our wings and took off as fast as we could go. I looked down and saw a group of Erasers taking off after us.

"Speed it up!" I commanded. Aero and I could fly at over 200 miles per hour, but we had to keep it at a normal speed for Fang.

"Follow me," said Fang. "I told Iggy where to meet us."

He moved himself to the front of the line and swooped down to the trees. My eyes did a 360-degree scan, then stopped at Aero, a look of distress on her face. I moved closer to her to catch her attention.

"What's up?" I asked.

She just shook her head. "Nothing... just be prepared when we land."

* * *

Yeay :D Chapter eight GET! Hope everyone enjoyed the introduction of the Executioners. Gawd, I can't wait to write about the other mutants and Seth xx I wanna get to those parts ASAP, so I'll keep writing X3 

-iyagi 이야기


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